Virtually all 406 MHz beacons incorporate a self test mode of operation (some very
old models of beacon may not have this facility). Standard Self-Tests of beacons
usually involve pressing a button or lifting a lever on the beacon and holding it
for around 10 seconds. This usually results in the beacon flashing an LED or Strobe
and/or making an audible sound that indicates that the internal circuitry of the
beacon is functioning correctly. You should always carefully follow the beacon manufacturers
instructions when carrying out a self test as its possible to get false results
or inadvertently trigger a false alarm if you do it incorrectly. If the beacon fails
you should contact the beacon manufacturer or one of their appointed service agents
for further advice and instructions. Assuming that the beacon passes then you can
be reasonably confident that it will work correctly in an emergency.

The beacon owners’ manual usually recommends the frequency of these tests, typical
advice is once a month and/or before extended trips or after you suspect that the
beacon might have been damaged in some way (e.g. it got dropped) or at the end of
the season. For ELTs and EPIRBs there are often regulatory requirements that define
how often these tests should be performed. You can find further details on these
requirements in the relevant beacon section.

Newer GPS (sometimes referred to as GNSS) equipped beacons may also include an optional
GPS Satellite Acquisition Self Test (not all GPS beacons have this facility), which
tests the operation of the GPS Receiver and its ability to encode your location
into the transmitted distress message. It is not uncommon for this test to only
be permitted to be performed once or twice over the life of the battery (e.g. every
couple of years), as this type of test can significantly reduce the battery life
of the beacon. This is especially true for beacons with an integral GPS receiver,
beacons using a separate external GPS receiver can often be tested more frequently.
So it is important to think carefully when you want to do this test and to carefully
follow the manufacturers’ instructions for procedures and recommended frequencies
of this optional test as detailed in the User Manual for your beacon.

If your beacon does include this optional test then assuming that it passes you
can have even more confidence in the correct operation of your beacon and especially
its ability to send the GPS location of the beacon in an emergency.

Again for ELTs and EPIRBs installed in commercial craft there are often regulatory
requirements that define how often these tests should be performed. You can find
further details on these requirements in the relevant beacon section.

Assuming that your beacon has a Self Test facility (and the vast majority do), then
when this is activated it checks for the correct operation of the internal circuitry
within the beacon and reports the result, usually by flashing an LED or Strobe and/or
making an audible sound.
Most importantly it indicates that RF power at 406 MHz is being generated within
the beacon and therefore the beacon will probably transmit a signal in an emergency
that the Cospas-Sarsat satellites can pick up.

All recent beacons go one step further than this and actually transmit a single
“Self Test” burst that can be picked up by the satellites, which the receiving ground
stations are programmed to ignore. This then provides a Self Test facility that
with the right equipment can ensure that your beacon is really working correctly
(See Through Satellite Self Test).

Some older beacons also transmit the Self Test burst in the same way that newer
beacons do, but not all older beacons work this way, some only carry out the internal
check as explained above. You can check whether your beacon actually transmits a
Self Test burst or not by looking it up in the list of beacons here

All beacons with a Self Test facility check out the internal circuitry within the
beacon for correct operation. However the extent of this internal test varies from
manufacturer to manufacturer and sometimes between models as well. A typical beacon
self test will check out the Battery, 406 MHz Phase Lock Loop (PLL) – the part of
the circuitry that makes the beacon transmit at the correct frequency – and the
406 RF output. Some beacons (especially newer ones) check more items than this and
a few older beacons may check less. Some beacons also test the 121.5 MHz homing
transmitter in the beacon for correct operation as well.

As opposed to a normal Self Test which only checks the internal operation of the
beacon and provides a local indication of pass or fail, a Through Satellite Self
Test does just that, it checks that the signal emitted by your beacon can be picked
up by the Cospas-Sarsat satellites and can be detected and decoded by the ground
stations, thus providing a complete test of the system from end to end.

Normal Cospas-Sarsat Ground Stations ignore Self Test messages, but the SafeLife Systems
ground receiving stations have been specially adapted to receive these Self Test
messages so that we can provide you with this ultimate level of confidence in the
operation of your beacon in an emergency.

Assuming that your beacon transmits a message during the Self Test (you can check
whether your beacon actually transmits a Self Test burst or not by looking it up
in the list of beacons here) then you can use
the SafeLife Systems Through Satellite Self Test.

The Through Satellite Self Test carries out a normal Self Test of your beacon and
works in exactly the same way as normal, but the transmitted Self Test message is
picked up by the SafeLife Systems ground receiving stations and is decoded in the same
way that a real message would be to provide the same information that would be provided
to the rescue services in the case of an emergency.

Specifically we are able to determine and provide the following information:

Confirmation of whether or not, your beacon would be detected by the satellites
used by the International Search and Rescue network

In addition, you will be
provided with the encoded beacon information (15 HEX ID, Country Code, Beacon Type
and Programmed Identity) for your verification / records.

In addition if you have a GPS Beacon that can perform a GPS Self Test then we can
also provide:

The encoded location transmitted as a part of the Beacon message

We can also provide:

An official Record of the test and the results where this is required to satisfy
regulatory or commercial requirements

Compared to a normal Self Test a Through Satellite Self Test offers the following
advantages:

Confidence that you beacon can transmit a signal that can be picked up by the satellites

Confidence that your beacon transmits a signal that can be recognized and decoded
by the ground stations

Confidence that the details programmed into your beacon
are correct, thus helping to speed up any rescue should one be necessary at some
point in the future

Overall confidence in the complete system from end to end
in case of an emergency

If your Beacon is fitted with a GPS Self Test then confidence
that the GPS Receiver is working correctly and that the beacon correctly encodes
your location into the transmitted message and that it is received and decoded correctly

Yes, in particular some older models of Beacon do not transmit a 406 MHz burst,
so cannot be tested in this way. In addition some current models of Beacon incorporate
features (e.g. a rolled up one time only use antenna) that reduce their radiated
power output during a Self Test and therefore these beacons do not transmit a signal
that is strong enough to reach the satellites (Note when the antenna is correctly
erected these Beacons radiate at full power the same as any other Beacon).

You can check whether your beacon actually transmits a Self Test burst or not by
looking it up in the list of beacons here

Don’t panic, as long as it was a genuine mistake and not deliberate you have nothing
to worry about, however you must turn off your Beacon and contact the emergency
services as quickly as possible to let them know your transmissions are a False
Alert.

Deliberate misuse or not notifying the proper authority may incur a severe penalty.

When you call be prepared to provide the following information:

The Beacon Unique Identifier Number (UIN) (15 Hex ID printed on the Beacon)

The Date, Time and duration of the False Alert

The location of the Beacon at
the time of the False Alert

The cause of the False Alert

The primary contact point in the United States for the notification of False Alerts
is the United States Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (USAFRCC) the telephone
number is 1-800-851-3051.

However if you have an EPIRB you can contact the United States Coast Guard (USCG)
in the following areas:

If you get a Self Test failure, firstly check the instructions in the user manual
supplied with your Beacon, make sure you carried out the test correctly and that
you have followed any instructions provided. If you are sure your Beacon failed
the self test then you should contact the beacon manufacturer or one of their appointed
service agents for further advice and instructions.

Provided that you follow all the instructions on how to carry out the test correctly
the test should work. However its important to remember that the Self Test only
transmits ONE single burst of data up to the satellites and it is possible in some
circumstances for that burst to get corrupted by atmospheric conditions and other
anomalies. In an emergency your beacons transmits a burst up to the satellites every
50 seconds and thus if the first burst does not get through its highly likely that
the second or third burst will, however don’t worry your beacon will carry on transmitting
for at least 24 hours, so even if you are in extreme conditions the message should
get through.

If the satellites do not detect the Single Self Test burst from your beacon, you will receive a Through Satellite Self Test failure message. This may be due to the above noted reasons, or if you do not perform the test within the scheduled time period. If your beacon responds to its Self Test as specified in your manufacturers manual, it is operating normally.